Do you have a career development plan?

In life, we often like to believe in our lucky star… From a professional point of view, establishing a career development plan can actually help the stars to align themselves.

A career plan: a development tool that we’ve all heard about, but… who has one? However, according to Al Dea, career development specialist, those who take the time to formulate a good plan greatly increase their chances of realizing their dreams. That’s why it’s important to follow a useful and effective method.

1- Evaluate your current situation

Start by evaluating your current situation by analyzing your tasks, your competencies, what motivates you, your strengths and weaknesses, your values and your interests. This self-analysis will show you whether the role you’re currently playing still corresponds with your goals.

2- Define these achievements

Secondly, it’s good to isolate which projects had the most positive effects on both your well-being and your career. This way you can invest further effort into this type of project. For example, if you recently enjoyed collaborating in the rewriting of a Website, why not try to find other projects where you can profit from your written communication skills?

3- Make clear goals

Once you’ve noted what you like doing and what you do well, it’s time to confirm where you want to go. A manager, in particular, might want to manage a bigger team. If you lack certain skill-sets to get there, you need to find a way to get them by formulating S.M.A.R.T. goals, that’s to say, Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely (whether with a date or a time limit). That might involve combining work with on-line study.

4- Get support

Whether you’re evaluating your strengths, your achievements or the ways to attain your goals, it’s always best to ask for help from qualified people; perhaps a superior, mentor or colleague. In addition to this advice, these people might have the opportunity to suggest…

That being said, a career plan doesn’t have to be carved in stone. In fact, it’s even recommended to stay flexible, see if you can draw up several career plans. After all, as the poet Jacques Prévert so aptly says: “The best way to not progress is to follow a fixed idea”